One can never have enough shoes!

I am on a roll with all the fun shoes out there in retail-land! I love shoes and even more, I love shoes that I can make on the cheap! Here is the latest creation: a Victorian inspired flat. All you need is a plain black flat (thank you Payless $10), ruffled lace, 1/4" satin ribbon, sharp scissors, fabri-tac, gem-tac, and vintage Cameos. My total cost was under $20 yet again!

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Love the bow laced up the back of the shoe! Looks hard but is simple to do as long as you have a leather punch or sharp scissors.

I was Featured on....

an amazing blog that i LOVE: Someday Crafts! Be sure to check them out! Many thanks to them for featuring my feather trees in their "tabletop tree" post today.

$167 tank for $7.50

Everywhere you go right now (in the stores), 40's inspired fabric rosettes are all over this season's hottest looks. I am totally loving them! From necklaces to shirts, they jazz up anything. I tried my hand at them for the first time last night, and I absolutely LOVE how this tank turned out. Thanks to Old Navy for always supplying me with a "canvas" to work with. A $5 tank + $2.50 worth of washable poly/silk fabric = "hautemama" couture!




The Splurge



The Steal

Kate Spade Inspired Shoes

I saw a fabulous pair of Kate Spade shoes at her store recently, but at the tune of $185 they were definitely a no-go. So of course I had to put my thinking cap on and with the help of $8 shoes and a $9 necklace from Charlotte Rousse, some grosgrain ribbon, and a needle and thread I was able to come up with my own version. You could use any type of embellished necklace but make sure it can easily be taken apart. Since big flowers are so popular right now I had no trouble finding one. The one I used actually had 5 flowers on it so now I have three extra to play with.




Cut 12 ribbon strips 5" long, hand sew them into flower like shape.


Sew ribbon flower onto shoe.


Super glue flower and reinforce by sewing around two of the metal petals thru the shoe.


Super cute!!!

Crafty Christmas Trees

Oh the joys of a hot glue gun, ribbon, and spray paint! I am loving all the many ways you can take any type of cone and make it into totally unique Christmas tree decor.



For this tree I took a brown floral department wood tree/cone and spray painted it gold and just hot glued leopard ribbon around it.




This Victorian style tree was made from a styrofoam cone that was spray painted silver, wrapped and hot glued with lace and pearl garland.




This one is my favorite! Again I spray painted a styrofoam cone silver, then pinned on ruffled fabric and tulle. I ruffled with my sewing machine, but you can total do it by hand too. The possibilities are endless and I can't wait to make more!

DIY Feather Christmas Trees

Oh my goodness! These were too fun to put together and the possibilities are endless! All that is required is a styrofoam cone (any height), feather boas, sewing pins or hot glue for adherence (whichever you prefer), tulle, and ribbon. How cute are they?! Ruffled fabric trees are still a work in progress, but I will post them as soon as they are done.

Seamstress for the little "Fashionista"

My sewing machine had been getting quite the workout lately! I have started making skirts for Olivia again and am truly enjoying it. Here are a couple of her twirly skirts. She LOVES to spin around and around in them. I've gotten such a huge response from friends about them that I am making them for their girls as well. Maybe I do need a boutique after all.....






This one has a super cute gathered detail so you can see the underskirt, but Olivia has her hand over it in the picture.

DIY Splurge vs. Steal: $365 top for $22

I totally fell in love with this shirt by Valentino that was covered in a variety of black lace, while flipping through the November issue of Marie Claire. I nearly went into shock after reading that it was $365!!! I turned to Chris and said: "I can make that for $20." So, $22 later (yes, I was slightly over) I did, and it turned out darn cute. All you need is a gray short sleeve t-shirt, a variety of lace, some tulle, and a sewing machine. Super cute, super sassy, and super steal!

Texturize!

Fall and Winter are the only two seasons when all textures and various fabrics can come together and mix with each other. Bring the chiffons, florals, satins, and ruffles into your fall/winter wardrobe to add romance or extra girliness to the manly suiting of the season, or to just make a cardigan not look so June Cleaverish. Here are some fabrics to fall in love with this season:


*faux fur
*suede
*leather
*tweed
*wool
*crochet
*sequins
*velvet
*tulle
*lace
*chenille

Rule of Fun (via Heidi Klum): A fashionable woman wears the clothes; a fashion victim lets the clothes wear her.

DIY "haute" winter hat

What will a $1.50 Walmart stocking hat, a flower, some feathers, ribbon, and a hot glue gun get you? A SUPER cute winter hat! I originally made them for Olivia but I couldn't resist sporting them too. This is an easy one girls and gets lots of compliments!

So Many Heights, What's For Me?

With boots all the rage this season, not one particular style stands out. Go to any shoe store and you will find a variety of boot styles. Let's break it down and figure out which one is for you:

Classic Boot (below or right at the knee): Great for jeans, dresses of all lengths, and pants.

Mid Calf Boot: best for short dresses and skirts.

Over the Knee (thigh high): this look can be extreme if not worn correctly. Wear with long cardigans, sweaters, scarves. Keep it loose on top in the form of feminine blouses to avoid looking like a hooker. Rule of thumb: fitted on bottom, loose on top or loose on bottom, more fitted up top. No Catwoman ladies!

Ankle Boot (booties): like your Grannie's, only much cuter! These boots look best with leggings, skinny jeans, and the boyfriend jean. They give an edge to any outfit and are a carryover trend from Springs gladiator sandals. Look for suede, leather, peep toe. Most of them will be embellished with heavy metal hardware, some I've seen with Victorian style lace-ups. For extra pizazz add ankle chains and bracelets.

Back from Cabo, back to business!

TOP 5 Shoe Trends for Fall:

1. Heavy Hardware as embellishments - lots of metal accents, grommets, studs, buckles. Very Joan Jett!

2. Platforms - especially extreme platforms with very high heels and peep toes. They make your legs look super long too, bonus!

3. Animal Skins - not just leopard and zebra, snake and alligator too.

4. Flats - jeweled, embellished, sequin, suede, plain, etc....

5. Boots - all lengths: over the knee, knee high, and the big one for fall: booties! Will post on just the boot trend for fall shortly.

Pumpkins Galore!

As if modge-podging the pumpkins wasn't enough, I got the "mini fashionista" and her little brother into decorating them as well. Olivia and Nicholas were quite proud of their creations, Mom was too. I even added another one to my collection.

Mod Podge, my best friend!

I'll admit it...I would mod podge my walls if my husband would let me! Why not mod podge a craft pumpkin then? Cute and simple and cheap, my kinda decor. Even the husband liked it. Now, what to do for christmas decor.....

So I totally fell in love with a shoe I saw in InStyle magazine like this for $100 and instantly thought; "I can make that for under $20." Here is the final outcome. Nothing feels better than sporting something crafted from your own hands. All it took was some plain black shoes, pearls, ribbon, a hole punch, and rhinestones from the craft store.

Top 10 Trends for Fall

1. Layers - think camis over long sleeves, fur vests over tees, skirts over leggings, dresses over jeans.
2. Animal Print - use as accents pieces or accessories, leopard, zebra in all shades. Think outside of the box with your colors, like red leopard vs. the traditional brown print.
3. Leather - whether faux or real it is THE trend for fall. Not just in shoes and boots, think skirts, shorts, and jackets. Pair it with a sweater or feminine blouse to soften the look.
4. Legwear - tight and leggings. Run wild with this trend! Accesorize those legs in a variety of lengths and patterns. The wilder the statement the more attention you'll draw!
5. Cardigans - not your typical June Cleaver look. This fall brings us traditional button downs as well as ruffled ones and even knee length ones. Pair either version with a belt over it at the waist for an even trendier look.
6. Skinny Jeans - continued trend from last year' aren't you gald that money didn't go to waste? Always pair with a looser top or long tunic to avoid looking like an underfed model or straight out of 1985.
7. Military - especially jackets - HUGE for fall. Worn with skinny jeans and heels = knock out! Worried about looking like Hitler? Soften the look with pearls and metal charm jewelry.
8. Feminine Accessories: pearls, ribbon, bows, and rosettes. Found on necklaces, headbands, tshirts, shoes. They are everywhere and so super easy to make to!
9. The 1940's: flapper dresses, long pearls, drop waistlines, tulle, full skirts with high waists, cardigans. this trend encompasses several of the above mentioned.
10. Neon - I know it sounds like a bad 80's nightmare, but it is totally do-able. Add it as an accent piece whether necklace, shoes, or purse, even eyeliner (hello Belinda Carlisle!). If you're bold enough wear it from head to toe!

Bear With Me

Ok...so I broke down and started a blog. Now, I can't promise that it will always be updated, but I will try. I hope this blog shows how to make the trends on the cheap for all you fashionistas, whether it be for your house or your self. I also hope to be posting a guide to the season's latest trends. Stay tuned......